Dark Blood Online

Dark Blood Overview

Dark Blood Online is a PvP fighting game where players compete against one another in arena style combat. The game features mature content, and the battles get bloody and intense. There are several arenas that players may be put into, and each one has different tactics that need to be used in order to survive.

Dark Blood Screenshots

Dark Blood Featured Video

Full Review

Dark Blood Review

Dark Blood Online harkens the nostalgia of platformer games of the past. With a 2-D background and 3-D characters, this action-packed side-scroller envelops players in a world battling evil forces. Using themes of magic, fantasy, evil creatures, and a rustic middle-ages look, Dark Blood is an MMO even the most casual of gamers can enjoy.

Breathe Life into Them

Character creation is interesting to say the least. The animation choices to the female characters’ breast create a strange visual of “breathing boobs”. This animation translates into the gameplay as well. As with most MMOs, you have several options to customize the one of four characters currently available. The ability to modify the character’s body, face, hair, etc, is all there for the players. Players are able to choose from a warrior, knight, hunter, and mage as their starting character. Below the character selection there is a small animation window that showcases the three different levels each class become. With the lack of a stats sheet for each character, new players must guess which class is right for them based on the animation box or just their past experience with generic classes in other MMOs.

When starting the game you’re immediately thrown into a story of storming a castle and fighting monsters with a group of NPCs. The story at this time is vague, but the game chooses to immerse the player into the story, rather than tell a background story right off the bat. The battle scene also serves the purpose of providing a tutorial of the game’s controls. Dark Blood’s tutorial is a remarkably refreshing take, as it doesn’t pile a list of instruction one right after another. It shows one control, allows the player to get used to that control, and then introduces the next in succession after offering ample time for the player to master the previous instructions.

Once inside the castle, you fight monsters side-by-side with the NPCs on your team, guiding the player along the story. This is where it becomes confusing. After watching a short cut-scene of the action, your player wakes up semi-naked in a forest. You then have to help a woman from being attacked from wild hogs. Why you wake up in that forest is unexplained. Suddenly, you’re in town talking to the blacksmith. These transitions are confusing, and the link between the different scenes seems unconnected.

Sound the Trumpets

While the quests themselves try to explain the storyline and have you progress through the game, the manner in which they are performed is awkward. Some quests can be completed in seconds, one right after another. Players are met with a fanfare of trumpets each time a quest is completed. When you can complete a couple of quests in a matter of minutes, hearing the fanfare over and over can easily get on your nerves.

The subjects of the quests are hit and miss at times. Sometimes the game gives an imaginative quest that’s exciting and challenging, at other times it feels like a tedious chore.

The mechanics of the game are actually quite enjoyable, relying on the player to use the keyboard more so than any other controls. There are satisfying animations of each action sequences, and an overall solid combat system that creates an exciting experience for the player. The AI in the game is a bit off at times though. The creatures you battle may wander around screen aimlessly before coming anywhere near you. Some quests increase the difficultly of battles by simply increasing the number of these brain-dead creatures. There is an overwhelming disappointing feeling when you’re pummeling creatures that aren’t really fighting back.

Final Verdict: Good

Dark Blood overall is an enjoyable game with potential, although I’d recommend it more to the casual gamer. The small world and the AI of the creatures may not be enjoyable to those who seek more of challenge from the games they play. While there is story to the game, it was difficult to follow along with; there is also a gap between connecting the quests to the storyline. But for those of you who enjoy PVP action, this game delivers. If action-packed fights are what you seek, but you really don’t have the time to devote leveling up a character, Dark Blood would be a good fit for you. Within the time this review was written, they introduced their first content update, so I expect the game to grow and improve over time.

Dark Blood System Requirements

Dark Blood Online Articles

Dark Blood Online: Elf Hunter Now Available - Posted on December 17, 2014NexonGT Co. Ltd., creators of the hit online games ‘Sudden Attack’ and ‘Dekaron’ have announced a content update for its popular free to play hack ‘n’ slash Action RPG with an extreme combo battle system, Dark Blood Online, on Steam. The update will introduce a new class, ‘Elf Hunter’.